Building regs questions
 

I am thinking of having a wide dormer added to the back of our attic for a
shower room and a box room (which currently has a double fronted one at the
front).
A couple of people have said to me if I have this done than the WHOLE house
has to meet current building regs! I cannot see that this can be true, but
they say builders have told them. But my house was built in 1890, how can it
possibly meet current regs without being flattened and rebuilt?

Confused.

Also can anyone recommend a builder in Bradford (Yorkshire) area who can do
plans etc; or should I be after an architect?

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"Tim Morley" tim.morley*REMOVE wrote in message
. uk...
I am thinking of having a wide dormer added to the back of our attic for a
shower room and a box room (which currently has a double fronted one at the
front).

Have a look at John Rumm's excellent new website for all sorts of info on
roof conversion:
http://www.internode.co.uk/loft/
If you email him directly I'm sure he will be able to help.

Suzanne

I am thinking of having a wide dormer added to the back of our attic for a
shower room and a box room (which currently has a double fronted one at
the
front).

A couple of people have said to me if I have this done than the WHOLE
house
has to meet current building regs!

No, it doesn't. However, some of the building regulations will need to apply
outside the conversion itself. A non exhaustive list might include:

1. Fire escapes. Various ways to acheive, but basically, open plan stairs on
the lower floors are a no-no and must be boxed in, unless there are separate
fire escapes. Sometimes fire doors or closing devices are needed on existing
floors.
2. Mains linked smoke detectors.
3. Foundations may need strengthening (there may not even be any!) for the
increased weight.
4. Fire proofing between the conversion and lower floors.

Obviously, the whole gamut of regulations apply within the conversion,
although they let you have a slightly lower u-Value than for new build.
Don't take advantage of this unless you really need the space, as additional
insulation is a good idea.

Christian.

"Christian McArdle" wrote in message
. net...
I am thinking of having a wide dormer added to the back of our attic for
a
shower room and a box room (which currently has a double fronted one at
the
front).

A couple of people have said to me if I have this done than the WHOLE
house
has to meet current building regs!

No, it doesn't. However, some of the building regulations will need to
apply
outside the conversion itself. A non exhaustive list might include:

1. Fire escapes. Various ways to acheive, but basically, open plan stairs
on
the lower floors are a no-no and must be boxed in, unless there are
separate
fire escapes. Sometimes fire doors or closing devices are needed on
existing
floors.
2. Mains linked smoke detectors.
3. Foundations may need strengthening (there may not even be any!) for the
increased weight.
4. Fire proofing between the conversion and lower floors.

Obviously, the whole gamut of regulations apply within the conversion,
although they let you have a slightly lower u-Value than for new build.
Don't take advantage of this unless you really need the space, as
additional
insulation is a good idea.

Christian.



Thanks for the fast reply there. At least I am ok on the smoke alarms, one
of the first jobs I did when we got the house 3 years ago!

"Suz" wrote in message
...

"Tim Morley" tim.morley*REMOVE wrote in message
. uk...
I am thinking of having a wide dormer added to the back of our attic for a
shower room and a box room (which currently has a double fronted one at
the front).

Have a look at John Rumm's excellent new website for all sorts of info on
roof conversion:
http://www.internode.co.uk/loft/
If you email him directly I'm sure he will be able to help.

Suzanne


Just read through it, looks really nice. I had a heart attack when it said
to get the lot done with contractors would have cost 30-40k !

In article ,
Tim Morley tim.morley*REMOVE wrote:
A couple of people have said to me if I have this done than the WHOLE
house has to meet current building regs! I cannot see that this can be
true, but they say builders have told them. But my house was built in
1890, how can it possibly meet current regs without being flattened and
rebuilt?

If you're altering what is a second floor, you'll need to bring the fire
escape provisions up to modern standards. IIRC.

--
*The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Tim Morley" tim.morley*REMOVE wrote in message
. uk...

"Suz" wrote in message
...

"Tim Morley" tim.morley*REMOVE wrote in
message . uk...
I am thinking of having a wide dormer added to the back of our attic for
a shower room and a box room (which currently has a double fronted one at
the front).

Have a look at John Rumm's excellent new website for all sorts of info on
roof conversion:
http://www.internode.co.uk/loft/
If you email him directly I'm sure he will be able to help.

Suzanne


Just read through it, looks really nice. I had a heart attack when it said
to get the lot done with contractors would have cost 30-40k !


I think that is about right. Just wish my hubby and I had half the skills
John and his mates have...

Tim Morley wrote:


Thanks for the fast reply there. At least I am ok on the smoke alarms, one
of the first jobs I did when we got the house 3 years ago!

I would agree with what Christian said, however would add that if you
are adding only a shower / bathroom and no other accomodation, then the
rule *may* be less strict since the bathroom will not count as a
habitable room.

(BTW when building regs require smoke alarms, they normally require they
are interlinked and mains powered as well)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Suz wrote:


I think that is about right. Just wish my hubby and I had half the skills
John and his mates have...

Only one way to get 'em ;-))

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Tim Morley wrote:

Just read through it, looks really nice. I had a heart attack when it said
to get the lot done with contractors would have cost 30-40k !

The 30 to 40K was based on what some friends have paid to have their
conversions done. However these were different and perhaps not exactly
comparable.

I did have a chat with one builder for ours and he started off with talk
of figures in the early 20s - depending on exactly what finish etc was
required. However that did exclude a number of costs, specifically:
bathroom fittings and tiles (about 1K alone in our case), decoration,
carpets etc (another 600 - 800 perhaps), it would not have included work
I did on replacement of the boiler, or the gutters and soffits. So the
impression I got was that the actual cost by the time it was *really*
finished was going to be heading toward 30K based on his prices.

Even if you do spend 30K however, there is a fair chance in the current
housing market you will recoup that and more if you sell.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Tim Morley wrote:

I am thinking of having a wide dormer added to the back of our attic for a
shower room and a box room (which currently has a double fronted one at the
front).
A couple of people have said to me if I have this done than the WHOLE house
has to meet current building regs! I cannot see that this can be true, but
they say builders have told them. But my house was built in 1890, how can it
possibly meet current regs without being flattened and rebuilt?

Confused.

Also can anyone recommend a builder in Bradford (Yorkshire) area who can do
plans etc; or should I be after an architect?


Well mostly only new work has to meet current regs: That can get
'confused' when overall house things like insulation are taken into
account.

But in this case provided the extra bit of wall roof and window meet
specs, you will be OK.

Talk to your BCO - most are not fire breathing monsters. Far better in
any case to not start something that will need huge amounts spent for
very little return if for some reason he isnists on something outlandish.

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 10:50:13 GMT, a particular chimpanzee named "Tim
Morley" tim.morley*REMOVE randomly hit the
keyboard and produced:

I am thinking of having a wide dormer added to the back of our attic for a
shower room and a box room (which currently has a double fronted one at the
front).
A couple of people have said to me if I have this done than the WHOLE house
has to meet current building regs!

The extension and alterations have to comply with the latest
requirements, but the existing has to be no worse than it was
previously. It may be that you will have to do work outside the
extension to make it comply (such as strengthening floors or
foundations if the new work adds extra loads to them, for instance),
but there's no requirement to parts of the building which are
unaffected by the work.
--
Hugo Nebula
"If no-one on the internet wants a piece of this,
just how far from the pack have you strayed?"